Dr. Seung Kim from Seoul worries about Korean impact on business, family

ST. LOUIS (KSDK) - Seung Kim, Ph.D., is the Director of the Boeing Institute of International Business in the John Cook School of Business at Saint Louis University.

When it comes to the current crisis in North Korea, Kim believes Kim Jong Un, 28, wants to consolidate internal power in North Korea by creating an external threat with South Korea and the United States.

Dr. Kim worries about the impact of the crisis on international business. He cites Hyundai and Samsung as companies that produce popular products in that part of the world.

Kim said South Korea is now the seventh largest trading partner of the United States, and the third largest trading partner of Missouri.

And Kim supports the U.S. government's response to Un's saber rattling, so far.

"I think they are doing the right thing, because as you know they moved the B-52, B-5 and even F-22 from Guam to South Korea," he said. "Now they are saying they are going to retaliate. And I believe this defensive posture is a deterrence to war."

Kim's family is from Seoul, which he said is 30 miles from the border of North Korea.

"In the past this happened so many times they were a little bit complacent, not worried," he said. "But this time they think something might happen. That means South Korea knows, North Korea knows, it'll be disaster. Why? Because North Korea has a lot of missile power, artillery power. South Korea has aircraft and naval power. So in a matter of a few seconds or maybe hours, both will be devastating."